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GINN SUR MER CLASSIC AT TESOROOctober 28, 2007Dicky PridePORT ST. LUCIE, FLORIDA DOUG MILNE: Thanks for coming in. It's been a lot of long days, but you really hung in there. The Golf Channel was talking about your focus and how incredibly focused you were this week. It obviously paid off. What a way to finish. Some general comments and we'll take a few questions. DICKY PRIDE: In general, obviously, I'm very pleased with the way I played. But it's been building up. I worked with my teacher Brian Mogg, and I have been working really since the FedEx Cup. I had those four weeks off, and, boy, was that a thrill. But the good thing about that, having that four weeks off is I took it and said I'm going to do what I need to do to get myself prepared. I'm going to have seven tournaments left. Long story short, I was up every morning in the gym. My kids go to school, they leave at 7:00, so we're up at 6:00. I went straight to the gym. My wife took the kids to school, And I did that. And Brian and I, we finally got it together where it really made sense to me where I needed to go with my golf swing. I've really hit the ball good the entire time. My putting has just been atrocious, and probably one of my all-time lows as far as professional golf. I four-putted from three and a half feet last week from Phoenix. And the worst part was having to spot the fourth one, because I was going to be in Ryan Armour's line. I wanted to spot that sucker so bad. It was about a foot, but I wasn't sure if it would go in if I did that. But I had my little four-putt. I saw a good friend of mine, a guy that taught me 12 years named Todd Anderson. He's at Sea Island, and used to be at Old Marsh at the Breakers. We're really good friends. And I saw him Thursday after I finished my round, and I said, You got to help me. I'm dying here. It's the worst it's been. And he saw something in my set-up, and I didn't putt better the next day. But I putted better. Didn't help. I dug the hole too deep. So I went out and worked on it Sunday. Saw Brian on Monday. And told him what Todd said. He agreed with it, and we worked on it. And I worked very hard Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday on it. And Brian helped me get in the right positions as well. Todd sent me an email what I need to check for, and we were all on the same page, and it really paid off. DOUG MILNE: The tournament is certainly far from over. There's a lot left. What's going to be your mindset? You can't go anywhere, so... DICKY PRIDE: I don't know what I'm going to do. Because my wife and my son drove down today to come watch me play. My daughter stayed up because a friend of hers was having a Halloween party, so that's pretty cool. So she stayed up. So they're down here, and Doug LaBelle's suppose d to drive my car back so I can ride home with them. But I have to stay down here, so I don't know what I'm going to do. I've been staying with Glen Day, buddy of mine. So maybe it was like the week staying at the Honda. Maybe it's the Glen Day effect. DOUG MILNE: Okay, we'll open it up for questions. Q. First of all, obviously, you know you can play guys of this level. Everybody can play. But how much does the mind need to see the tangible effect of a second or a third or whatever this will wind up being to reaffirm that belief? DICKY PRIDE: It's just humongous. It's the first time I've put myself in that position since I think '04 when I finished fifth in Vegas. I think that's the last time. '04-'05, sometimes they run together. Sorry. You'll have to look that one up. It is humongous. The thing is it's just so frustrating the last five or six weeks. I've been playing so good and just messing it up, simply put. And it's very frustrating. Especially for someone like me who has always relied on my putting. My putting has just been off. When you look at a putt and you're not sure you can start it on in a line, you know, it's unbelievable. Vegas, I played with a belly putter. I mean, that's way off for someone who is best part of their game has always been their putting. So, yeah. It's just absolutely humongous for confidence. But I had a lot of confidence, because honestly, I'm hitting the ball as good as I've ever hit it. And my short game has been solid, except for my putting. My scrambling and bunker play and such is as good as it's been, and I haven't been putting good. So it's very frustrating, but it's good to have that. You know, it's momentum for next week. It's awful late, and I'm going to have to do something crazy next week, but it sure beats the alternative, so. Q. (Indiscernible)? DICKY PRIDE: I'm still looking here. Q. (Indiscernible)? DOUG MILNE: I think it's 194. DICKY PRIDE: Isn't he up to 146? Do we have to play next week? I mean, that would get -- I'd love, to you know, I'd love to have an off-season. It would be a cool deal. Q. For people that can't appreciate what goes on, can you kind of explain how difficult it is with six-hour rounds and a long course and a course you're not familiar with, and how that takes a huge mental grind? DICKY PRIDE: Yes, you're correct. I don't know if I can say it much better than that. I did, again, during my four-week time off, I live in Orlando, as this guy knows. I came down and I played a practice round with one of the assistants, Billy. And he showed me a lot of things, and it helped me a lot of the first day because we played with the north wind. We had our practice rounds with the east/southeast winds. We had the north wind, and that's what Billy and I played with. He showed me a lot about the golf course. So I felt like I got myself prepared playing my practice round. Actually Brian, my coach, walked, you know, 17 or 18. No, he missed one hole because he had to go work with Tripp Isenhour. He missed one hole, and 17 holes. And I really just loved what I'm doing with my golf game. It's very nice to see results, because it's been a while since I've seen the results I really want. Having said that, I just thought I finished ninth in Milwaukee last year, so there was another time. I shot 63 in that last round, too. Q. What did you think of the pace of play throughout the tournament? DICKY PRIDE: Well, I mean it was fine with me. I've had a pace of play problem in the past, and I've really worked hard to get over it, and I think I've done a good job with it. I was first off the first day I was first off, and I was playing with John Daly, so pace of play is out the door. Playing with Lucas today, pace of play goes right back out the door. We had no problems yesterday. It was just one of those things, we got a little behind yesterday but it was from different things. It's just it's a long way in between holes and it's just going to take time. When you're as muddy as it is, it's really too bad this happened, the weather happened to this place like it is. It really did increase the pace of play, because you have to lift, clean and place, and you have casual on a lot of places, but you can't do anything about it. It was long days. You just you knew it was going to be, so had you to be prepared for it. Q. Just curious, as a guy that's been through the league a few times, what your thoughts are on the Fall Series as it is currently presented. There have been some pretty strong opinions express bid some of the other rank and file guys as to whether this is to their benefit or detriment, and how these sponsors this late in the year may or may not be getting their money's worth? DICKY PRIDE: I don't know about the sponsors. I can't answer for them. I've looked at it as an opportunity. And I think that's the only way you can do it. Do I think it's good for the Tour? Do I think it's good for our product? I'm not sure. I don't know to be quite honest with you. I have not been a big fan of the FedEx Cup, and I'm not going to sit here and trash it or anything, but it's -- it definitely needs to be tweaked. I know they're going to do that, but I have not been a big fan of it this year. Q. A couple years ago you had gone through some health problems very, very severe and had a totally different mindset on coming in and trying to keep your card. How much has your mindset changed now? And talk about the difference between your mind set? DICKY PRIDE: You know, when I was younger, I mean, like most guys, you come out here and it's all golf all the time. For those that don't know, I had gallstones for some reason, we haven't figured out yet, and it caused gallstone pancreatitis which can kill you. And I was in the hospital for a month, and I was sick for tow or three months, And my son was 5 months old. If that doesn't change your perspective, nothing will. I've learned to sometimes you can get really upset. And I do. I'm not going to act like a saint, I can get mad with the best of them. But it's different. At the end of the day, I can sit there and say after the round, everything's over, you get the emotions and the adrenaline spiked down from how P.O.'d you are, you know. You go, okay my wife's healthy, my kids are healthy, I'm okay. It's definitely different than it used to be. Q. How long did it take you before you were fully healthy and you felt like you could really get out there and concentrate on golf instead of worrying about your health again? DICKY PRIDE: Well, I was fortunate because I had a great doctor. His name's Michael Cohen, who is one of my best friends now. I went into surgery, and they said you have a 50-50 shot of making it. Do you want to say anything to your wife? And I was like, Oh. The good news is I had a hip port and I had a bunch of drugs in me, so I didn't really grasp what was going on. I kind of look back at it now and go, ooh. And my daughter was 2 years old, my son's 5 months old, so, you know. It's almost like a lifetime ago, but it still affects me. It's just one of those things. You learn to appreciate a lot of things, and you go from there. DOUG MILNE: If you wouldn't mind, if we could just run through. You hit all 18 greens in regulation today. DICKY PRIDE: Really? DOUG MILNE: I'm sure a lot of that was -- DICKY PRIDE: Kind of like beating Tennessee, 41-what, whatever we beat them? DOUG MILNE: Yeah, 18 of 18. If we could just run through your birdies, no bogeys and an eagle early out of the gate. DICKY PRIDE: I'm going to look at this, because I can't remember. The cheat sheet. The second hole, I hit an excellent drive, and I had 228 to the front. I think I had 248, and left to right wind. I had a rescue about 20 feet. It just broke a little right, and I made it, obviously, or I wouldn't be talking about it. 6, I had a really good drive and an 8-iron, punched 8-iron from about couldn't have been more than 138 yards. I think it was around 130 yards, because it was really into the wind. And I punched an 8-iron 12 feet and made that just past the hole. 9, I hit a drive in the middle and hit a pitching wedge from 110 yards to about 4 feet and made that. Number 10 I hit a driver, and I hit that same punch 8-iron about 20 feet past from 138 yards with a left-to-right wind. Made the putt. Then 15 I hit a really good drive. Right in the dead center of the fairway. And I had 155 yards right to left and downwind. Hit a 9-iron to about 12 feet short and made that. 16, I hit a 3-wood. That is one of the par 5's where they have the tees up so you can't drive it through. I hit a 3-wood and had 238 to the pin into and right-to-left wind. I tell you the wind, because it affected it a lot, the ball. And I hit a full drive, full 3-wood and cut it back into the wind thinking I should have knocked it down. And I should have hooked it trying to get it there. Left it short, chipped it about 8 feet and made the putt. 17 is the one I was trying to hit a punch hook 3-iron from 218 right into the tee to the wind. And I hit the same shot yesterday where the pin was. So I knew it was the right club and I just came out of it a touch, and it came up on the front right of the green. I don't know how far it was, but it was a long way away, so. And actually, I was on the fringe that hole so technically didn't hit all 18 greens so, there went my record. DOUG MILNE: Well, ShotLink says you did. DICKY PRIDE: ShotLink's not right, because I had the pin in. It said I hit 18 greens, because I'll get in trouble. It was on the fringe. Then 18, I hit the drive perfect. I thought it was going to be right where I wanted it, and it was in the rough. It didn't go far enough. Had a pretty good lie though. Had 130 yards into the wind, and I hit a 7-iron. And I know that sounds real weird, but that rough's pretty tough. So it was kind of like hitting a bunker shot just trying to get the thing to jump up in the air. I was trying to hit it in the middle of the green and came out right, went right at the pin. Thank got they didn't hit it left. And it was about 10 feet straight downhill. It was a straight putt, and I just poured it. So that was nice. It's kind of like, okay, you've got the 10-footer downhill straight for the 9 under. Oh, good deal there. You know. You don't want that uphill where you're going to leave it straight iron just straight. Get it started online, and it went right in the middle. DOUG MILNE: Rounds like that and stories like yours are an inspiration. It's certainly not over, so we'll sit and wait. DICKY PRIDE: I like that. Inspiration. Inspiration. DOUG MILNE: That's right. Thanks for coming in, and we're certainly pulling for you. DICKY PRIDE: Appreciate it. 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